Jesus taught that children were to be included and provided for in the community of faith. Today, the church may be the only place where some children find the unconditional love and care they desperately need to grow and thrive. Therefore at Southside UMC, we take our responsibilities to children & youth very seriously. 

One of our main priorities in ministry to children & youth is to provide them a safe, secure environment to learn & grow in their faith. To help us do that, we have adopted a "Safe Sanctuary" policy, which includes guidelines for who can volunteer with our children & youth and precautions intended to protect against harm or abuse. 

Our Safe Sanctuary Policy (full policy) requires that all volunteers with children & youth in our congregation:

1. Be actively involved in our congregation for at least 6 months,

2. Complete a background check,

3. Attend a Safe Sanctuary Training,

4. Maintain a "two (unrelated) adult" rule at all times, no matter the size of the group, and

5. Be at least 19 years old and 5 years older than the children & youth being supervised.